Sealing gasket and securing device therefor



Aug. 31, 1937. D. F. NEWMAN SEALING GASK ET AND SECURING DEVICE THEREFOR Filed Aug. 28, 1955 Inventor: Delbeft FT Newman. by 649% His Attorn y.

Patented Aug. 31, 1937 24,91,791 SEALING GASKET AND SECURING DEVICE THEREF Delbert F. Newman, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application August 28, 1935, Serial No. 38,174

8 Claims.

My invention relates to scaling gaskets for refrigerator cabinets or the like. and more particularly to an improved and simplified arrangement for mounting a resilient sealing gasket on the i door of a refrigerator cabinet, or other structure.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved arrangement for mounting resilient sealing gaskets on refrigerator doors or the like which requires the minimum number of parts which maybe economically-manufactured and which simplifies the operations required in assembling the same.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding ofmy invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a portion of a household type refrigerator cabinet provided with a sealing gasket and mounting arrangement therefor embodying my invention;

35 Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the clips used in mounting the sealing gasket shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an exploded sectional view of a portion of the refrigerator door shown in Fig. l and one of the mounting clips prior to 30 its assembly on the door; and Fig. 4 is an exploded sectional view of a portion of the refrigerator cabinet door shown in Figs. 1 and 3 with one of the mounting clips in place thereon and the sealing gasket prior to its assembly on the 35 door.

Referring to the drawing I have shown in Fig. 1 a portion of the refrigerator cabinet of the household type the outer walls of the cabinet being formed by a rectangular sheet metal shell 40 Ill having a rectangular door opening in the top thereof. The rectangular sheet metal inner liner H, which is arranged in spaced relation within the shell It], forms the walls of an open top cooling compartment l2 within the refrigerator cab- 45 inet. The inner liner H is provided with 9. rectangular opening in the top thereof registering with the somewhat larger opening formed in the outer shell ID. A strip of non-hygroscopic thermal insulating material l3 extends entirely about 50 the door opening formed in the top of the cabinet and is secured to the adjacent edges of the shell I0 and inner liner II by bolts M. The outer shell I0 and inner liner II are separated by heat insulation l5. 55 The door opening formed in the top of the cabinet is closed by a heat insulated door which is hinged for movement about a horizontal axis and which is provided with a sealing gasket and mounting therefor embodying my invention; The outer wall of the door is formed by a rectangular sheet of metal 16 provided with a peripheral bead I I and a vertical peripheral flange Hi. The lower edge of the flange l 8 is provided with a peripheral bead IS. The rectangular inner Wall 20 of the door is made of a deformable insulating material 10 such as semi-hard rubber. The inner wall 20 is provided with an upwardly extending marginal portion 2| extending entirely about the same. An integral peripheral flange 22 extends entirely about the marginal portion 2| of the inner wall 20. Heat insulation 23 is arranged between the outer wall l6 and the inner wall of the door. The outer portion of the peripheral flange 22 is somewhat enlarged and is firmly gripped by the flange l8 of the outer wall It and the beaded edges 20 thereof. A gasket mounting groove 24 substantially rectangular in cross section is formed in the lower side of the peripheral flange 22.

A resilient sealing gasket 25 is mounted in the groove 24 by series of deformable sheet metal 25 clips 26 suitably spaced apart throughout the length of the gasket. The sealing gasket 25 is provided with a base portion 21 which is substantially rectangular in cross section and fits within the groove 24. The gasket 25 is also pro- 30 vided with a striking portion 28 which extends from one edge of the base portion 21 and is substantially C-shaped in cross section as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The clips 26 are formed from deformable sheet metal such as spring brass. When made from brass they are preferably cadmium plated in order to prevent corrosion thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, the sheet metal clip 26 is provided with a rectangular body portion 29 having a concave configuration when unstressed. Triangular lateral projections 30 are formed at each corner of the rectangular body portion 29. The clip 26 also includes an angularly disposed deformable retaining portion or tongue 3! which as best shown in Fig. 4 extends substantially at right angles to the body portion 29 when the latter is deformed to a flat configuration. Notches 32 are formed on opposite sides of the tongue 3| in order to provide a portion of reduced cross section which facilitates the bending of the tongue 3| about the base portion of the gasket 25 as hereinafter described.

The lateral projections 30 formed on the base portion 29 of the clip 26 are so proportioned that the width of the clip between opposite pro jections is slightly less than the width of the mounting groove 24 formed in the-inner wall 20 of the door. In mounting the resilient sealing 5 gasket 25 on the door the clips 26 are first positioned in the mounting groove 24. The clips 26 may be readily slipped into the mounting groove 24 since the width thereof when the base portion retains its unstressed concave configuration is slightly less than the width of the mounting groove. Pressure is then applied to the center of the body portions 29 of theclips 26 and the lateral projections 30 are thus forced into the walls of the mounting groove 24 firmly engaging the same. Flange 22 in which the mounting groove 24 is formed is made of a deformable material such as semi-hard rubber and the sharp projections formed on the clips 26 readily enter the adjacent walls of the groove 24, as

0 best shown in Fig. 4. The clips 26 are thus firmly retained in position within the mounting groove 24. A base portion 21 of the sealing gasket 25 is then inserted into the mounting groove 24 and the lower portion of the tongues 3| of the clips 25 26 are bent over the edge of the base portion 21 of the sealing gasket opposite the edge on which the striking portion 28 is formed, thus firmly embracing two sides of the base portion 21 of the sealing gasket. The clips 26 thus retain the seal- 0 ing gasket 25 in position in its mounting groove When the cabinet door is closed the striking portion 28 of the sealing gasket 25 is placed against the flat upper surface of the outer shell I 0 of the cabinet and prevents the entrance of warm air into the cooling compartment i2 through the door opening.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an improved arrangement for mounting the sealing 40 gasket on a refrigerator cabinet door or the like which requires a minimum number of parts and which may be readily assembled. The clips 26 are inexpensive to manufacture since they may be punched or otherwise formed from sheet metal in a suitable punch press or the like.

Although I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention in connection with a refrigerator cabinet designed for household use, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A sheet metal clip for removably retaining a flexible sealing gasket in position in a mounting groove formed in a structure adapted to receive the base of the gasket, said clip comprising a deformable concave body portion having laterally extending projections formed thereon, the width of said concave body portion between the outer ends of said projections being greater than the width of the bottom of the mounting groove 5 in the structure when said concave body portion is deformed to a flat configuration, said projections being arranged substantially in alignment with-said body portion of said clip, and an integral angularly disposed deformable retaining por- 7 tion adapted to be bent about a portion of said flexible sealing gasket. 7

2. A sheet metal clip for removably retaining a flexible sealing gasket in position in a mounting groove formed in a structure adapted to re-.

7 ceive the base of the gasket, said clip comprising a deformable rectangular body portion having lateral extending projections formed thereon ad jacent the corners thereof, said body portion of said clip having a concave configuration when unstressed and the width of saidbody portion between the outer ends of said projections being greater than the width of the bottom of the mounting groove in the structure when said body portion'is deformed to a fiat configuration, said projections being arranged substantially in alignment with said body portion of said clip, and an integral angularly disposed deformable retaining portion adapted to project from the mounting groove and. to be bent about a portion of said flexible sealing gasket.

3. A sheet metal clip for removably retaining a flexible sealing gasket in position in a mount ing groove formed in a structure adapted to receive the base of the gasket, said clip comprising a deformable rectangular body portion having lateral extending projections formed thereon adjacent the corners thereof, said body portion of said clip having a concave configuration when unstressed and the width of said body portion between the outer ends of said projections being greater than the width of the bottom of the mounting groove in the structure when said body portion is deformed to a fiat configuration, and an integral angularly disposed deformable retaining tongue adapted to be bent about a portion of said flexible sealing gasket, said retaining tongue having notches formed in the sides thereof to provide a reduced section to facilitate the bending thereof.

4. A cabinet member of deformable material having a groove formed therein adapted to receive a sealing gasket, a resilient sealing gasket provided with a base portion and a striking portion, and means including a deformable sheet metal clip for retaining said base portion of said gasket in position in said groove, said clip being provided with a body portion having a concave configuration when unstressed and having lateral projections formed thereon engageable with the walls of said groove upon the deformation of said body portion of said clip to a fiat configuration, said clip having a deformable tongue projecting therefrom and embracing a portion of said base portion of said gasket.

5. A cabinet member of deformable material having a groove formed therein adapted to receive a sealing gasket, a resilient sealing gasket provided with a base portion substantially rectangular in crosssection and a striking portion pro ecting from said base portion, and means including a deformable sheet metal clip for retaming said base portion of said gasket in position in said groove, said clip being provided with a body portion having a concave configuration when unstressed and having lateral projections formed thereon engageable with the walls of said groove upon the deformation of said body porhaving a deformable tongue projecting therefrom and embracing a portion of said base portion of said gasket.

6. A cabinet member of deformable material having a groove formed therein adapted to receive a sealing gasket, a resilient sealing gasket provided with a base portion having a substantially rectangular cross section and a striking portion projecting from one edge of said base portion, said striking portion having a C-shaped cross section, and means including a deformable sheet metal clip for retaining said base portion figuration, said clip having a deformable tongue projecting therefrom and extending about the edge of said base portion of said sealing gasket opposite said striking portion of said sealing asket.

DEL-BERT F. NEWMAN. 

